


it's always love (when it comes to you)

by fullsunlet



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Non-Linear Narrative, Parallel Lives, lots of AUs, side johnten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:26:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22504774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullsunlet/pseuds/fullsunlet
Summary: “Forever isn’t enough to love you."
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung
Comments: 18
Kudos: 126





	it's always love (when it comes to you)

**Author's Note:**

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOYOUNG!!
> 
> This 10,000 words is just an excuse for me to throw JaeDo into different AUs I want to write them in but don’t have the time for ‘proper’-length fics. They all have their own storylines (in my mind) but feel free to go wild with your imagination! Also, I just wanted to write a mix of fluff, angst, and (not-really) smut. I’m not exactly happy or satisfied with all of them but I hope you enjoy them anyway! ;;
> 
> 1: college AU, 2: hybrid(GoldenRetrieverJaehyun x RabbitDoyoung) AU, 3: boxer!Jaehyun x singer!Doyoung, 4: interstellar AU, 5: prince!Jaehyun x merman!Doyoung, 6: think 19th century, 7: model AU, 8: inception AU, 9: soccer player!Jaehyun x very very rich!Doyoung (if you know Chinese, just imagine he’s a fuerdai okay), 10: vocalist!Jaehyun x musician!Doyoung

Doyoung had found it absolutely, completely, entirely ridiculous when his parents had told him to let Jaehyun sleep in his room while he went to the guest room. (“Doyoung is happy to give up his room,” his mother had assured Jaehyun. Except, Doyoung wasn’t willing at all.) It wasn’t even an exaggeration to say that Doyoung was _forced_ into giving up his room. But then again, it had been his idea in the first place to invite Jaehyun over to his house after hearing that the other’s parents would be away the whole summer to visit some relatives in America. He also felt responsible to a certain extent since Jaehyun hadn’t tagged along with his family for one simple reason - Doyoung. They had started dating just before the summer break and Jaehyun didn’t want to be separated from his boyfriend for such a long time.

Initially, Doyoung hadn’t thought much about asking Jaehyun to stay over at his house. They could stay in his room, they could make out on his bed, they could even have sex. But soon, that fantasy had been destroyed when he remembered that they weren’t going to be moving into his dorm room. It was his parent’s house. That summer dream of Doyoung’s had been ruined further when his parents insisted on Doyoung giving up his room to Jaehyun while he slept in the guest room so that the latter could feel more comfortable.

“We can share a room. My bed is big enough for the both of us,” Doyoung had argued only to be shot down immediately.

Giving up his room to his new boyfriend had been a bad idea - how were they going to cuddle in bed? Said boyfriend had an even more ridiculous idea though: “You could come back to your room after your parents go to sleep and then you could sneak back to the guest room in the morning, mess up the bed and make it look like you slept in it before your parents wake up.”

It was such a stupid suggestion and Doyoung resented being the one going through all the trouble. Yet on the first night, Doyoung still ended up creeping out of the guest room and tip-toeing his way to his room.

Slowly turning the knob, Doyoung almost let out a sound of surprise when the door opened fully suddenly and he was dragged in. Not a second later, his back was slammed against the door and Jaehyun’s lips was covering his own.

“Are you crazy?” Doyoung whispered harshly once Jaehyun moved away. Heat grew in his cheeks and he could feel his heart thundering loudly in his chest. Briefly, he remembered how loud it must have been when his back hit the door and he started panicking until he saw the smug look on Jaehyun’s face.

Raising his hand, Doyoung roughly pushed Jaehyun’s head away, effectively making the younger boy stumble aside and giving him the chance to escape. Before Doyoung could twist the doorknob, Jaehyun’s hand was covering his, stopping him from leaving.

Looking over his shoulder, Doyoung rolled his eyes when he saw Jaehyun giving him a pitiful look. “What?”

Lower lip jutting out, Jaehyun blinked innocently. “Don’t go, please.”

If anything, Doyoung had a strong will. A strong will that easily crumbled down around Jung Jaehyun.

“I’ll be good,” Jaehyun continued, not knowing how fast Doyoung’s resistance had already melted. He held up his hand, palm facing Doyoung. “I promise.”

Smiling, Doyoung took hold of Jaehyun’s wrist and pressed a kiss to his palm before leading the younger boy back to the bed.

Laying his head on Jaehyun’s outstretched arm, Doyoung sighed in content and concluded in his head that sleeping in his own bed was the best feeling after all.

Waking up on the floor next to his bed was something considered next to the worst feeling though. Then he heard his mother’s voice and alarms went off in his head. Looking up, he saw how Jaehyun was sitting up straight on the bed, back facing Doyoung and one of his hands dangling off the side.

“How did you sleep, Jaehyun?”

“Great!” Jaehyun replied cheerily, voice strained.

“That’s good. I should go and check and see if Doyoung’s awake…”

“No!” Jaehyun said hurriedly. “I mean – ” he quickly composed himself, “- he’s awake. He texted me that he went out to – ” Jaehyun hissed when he felt Doyoung pinching his hand. “He texted me that he’ll be out for breakfast in a while. After asking if I was up yet,” he added as an afterthought.

“There’s some breakfast on the dining table for the two of you,” Doyoung’s mother informed. “I’ll be off to work, then. And please just treat this as your home, Jaehyun.”

Before Doyoung’s mother left the room, Jaehyun said, “Thank you, Mrs Kim,” in a sweet voice.

Doyoung stood up as soon as he finished counting to ten after hearing the door shut and pushed Jaehyun’s shoulders. Not expecting that Doyoung would use so much strength, Jaehyun fell back onto the bed. He was about to sit up when Doyoung threw a leg across his stomach and he grinned, thinking that Doyoung was going to straddle him when the other continued moving until his foot was touching the floor on the other side of the bed. “I can’t believe you pushed me off my own bed!”

When Jaehyun grabbed Doyoung’s hand to stop him from leaving, the latter had his other foot in between Jaehyun’s legs. “Are you leaving now?”

“This was _your_ idea,” Doyoung reminded Jaehyun, displeased. “You’re coming over from now on,” he hissed.

“Done,” Jaehyun agreed easily much to Doyoung’s surprise. He smiled, dimples appearing, closed his eyes and stuck his lips out. “One more kiss.”

Exasperated, Doyoung lightly pushed Jaehyun’s forehead with two fingers, laughing when the younger boy winced and rubbed at the spot. Doyoung then leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Jaehyun’s lips. “See you at breakfast.”

oOoOo

Despite the upcoming deadline and various missed calls from his boss, Doyoung decided that he needed to unwind and maybe indulge his boyfriend (himself) for a little bit. It wasn’t like the time he spent kissing Jaehyun would be wasted. At least he was doing something over staring blankly at his computer screen and trying to ignore the vibrations coming from his phone.

The kiss was slow and languid, Doyoung melting in Jaehyun’s hold while he used his thumb to gently smooth over Jaehyun’s ear that lay flat in his crown of golden hair. Jaehyun’s tail curled around Doyoung’s ankle while Jaehyun deepened the kiss, nipping on Doyoung’s lower lip and tightening his grip on Doyoung’s waist before dipping the latter down onto the couch, causing Doyoung’s tall ears to fold down.

That was when Doyoung concluded that it was enough before it got too far. “Nope,” Doyoung said and he unceremoniously pushed Jaehyun away, breaking their kiss. He ignored the way Jaehyun let out soft sob and continued shooing the other away. “I have to work on this for my client or I’m going to get fired,” Doyoung reasoned to Jaehyun as if he wasn’t the one who initiated the kiss. Turning to Jaehyun, Doyoung patted his cheek. “I’ll make it up to you,” he promised, making a kissy face at him before going back to his desk.

Seeing that Doyoung was really going to start on his work, the Golden Retriever hybrid had no choice but to find something to occupy his time with. Thankfully for him, Doyoung’s photo albums were entertaining enough.

Most of the pictures were from Doyoung’s middle and high school days and Jaehyun’s tail swayed in delight as he smiled to himself for a job well-done, for choosing the right photo album to flip through since this was a time in Doyoung’s life which he hadn’t been a part of. He had only met Doyoung when the other went to college.

Looking through these old photos was like discovering a hidden part of Doyoung that Jaehyun never knew - not that Doyoung never told him old stories but seeing the photos made all those words come to life. What Jaehyun could tell though, was how little Doyoung had changed; his naturally watery eyes, his soft rabbit ears, and gummy smile and all the things Jaehyun loved about him.

The sound of paper rustling made Jaehyun look up before he placed the album back where he had taken it from and made his way over to Doyoung’s side. He pulled a chair over and sat next to the other. “I’m just watching you work,” he explained before Doyoung had a chance to ask and Doyoung simply hummed in consent, knowing how much Jaehyun liked admiring him while he was working on his designs. His ears stood tall in delight, as if preening at Jaehyun’s words. It was a bit (very) narcissistic of Doyoung but he couldn’t help it. Self-love was as important as being loved after all.

Doyoung was concentrating. He was concentrating hard and his hard work paid off. In the past hour, he had managed to finish the outline of the building his client wanted. There were many more details left to work into the design until the final product but Doyoung had a few more days to complete it. He was concentrating so hard, then there was Jaehyun’s tail – all big and gold and swaying contentedly and fluffy and visible from the corner of his eye.

Now if only that tail would stop swaying, Doyoung would be able to work hard for a few more hours.

But Jaehyun was happy. And when Jaehyun was happy, his dimples would show and his tail would sway, except Doyoung couldn’t see his boyfriend’s face so he could only focus on the fluffy golden tail.

Without a second thought, Doyoung reached out and wrapped a hand around Jaehyun’s tail, making it still at once. And then he pulled it and looked up in time to see Jaehyun’s ears flatten further into his golden hair as he cast Doyoung a hurt look. Guilt swelled in Doyoung’s chest but he couldn’t find it in himself to apologise.

Jaehyun looked at Doyoung’s hand still wrapped around his tail before facing Doyoung sadly. “Why did you pull my tail?”

 _“Because it’s big and fluffy and so cute and just so damn distracting.”_ Doyoung frowned at his own thoughts. “Because I felt like it.”

Lowering his head, Jaehyun’s lower lip jutted out slightly. “Okay…”

Although Doyoung hadn’t intended on apologising, Jaehyun’s sad eyes and quiet voice made him take Jaehyun’s hand. “Are you really upset?” he asked kindly, playing with Jaehyun’s fingers. “I didn’t mean to pull your tail. Does it hurt?”

Silently, Jaehyun shook his head, his ears moving along and Doyoung tried to resist the urge to touch them. “No. So you can pull it whenever you feel like it.”

Helplessly, Doyoung stared at Jaehyun, unsure how he could cheer his hybrid up. “I only pulled your tail to make it stop swaying because it was really cute and distracting.”

Jaehyun took a moment to register the words before he perked up and was beaming at Doyoung, smile wide, his dimples appearing at the sides of his lips as his tail started wagging again. “You find my tail cute?”

That was only half the right answer. “And distracting,” Doyoung corrected, mentally groaning at how Jaehyun only caught on to one word and of course, he chose to listen to the positive one. “It was distracting me from my work.”

The way Jaehyun continued smiling at Doyoung made the latter wonder if he had even heard his words. As Doyoung was about to open his mouth again, Jaehyun suddenly stood up and hugged him, effectively shutting him up. Not that he had any words to say in the first place. With Doyoung’s head lying against his stomach, he stroke the other’s hair, sighing as he said, “You’ve worked hard, Doyoung.”

oOoOo

Eyes closed, hands clasped together, Jaehyun sat on a bench, hunched forward. When the door to the waiting room swung open, he looked up, a wave of disappointment rushing over him upon seeing his manager’s face. His manager walked over to him and took a seat on the bench, looking uneasy and Jaehyun instantly knew that the other wasn’t there to give him any good news. “Is Doyoung here?” he asked anyway.

The apologetic look on his manager’s face was a clear answer.

“I’ll go for warm-ups,” Jaehyun announced, grabbing his boxing gloves and bag from the bench before walking out.

The stadium was slowly filling up by now but Jaehyun knew that the only person he wanted in the crowd wouldn’t be there that night.

With or without Doyoung, the competition went on. When Jaehyun walked out, the camera zoomed in on to his face, his picture appeared on the big screen and the crowd went wild, his fans screaming his name. He glanced at the empty spot beside his manager before walking to the ring.

It wasn’t going to be a tough match. He was better than his opponent. But he was distracted. Distracted and upset and despite winning a number (he didn’t count how many) of rounds, it was his turn to be lying on the floor, his bruised cheek pressed against the hard and unforgiving ground, staining a small part red and that was when he noticed that there was a small cut on his face.

Swallowing, Jaehyun tried to push himself up but he couldn’t find the energy in himself. Couldn’t find that bit of strength until he met a pair of worried eyes.

Doyoung was there.

Taking a deep breath, Jaehyun gritted his teeth and pressed his palms against the ground to push himself off.

Once again, the crowd was cheering his name but all he could see was the way Doyoung’s shoulders slumped in relief as he sat back down, his eyes still filled with concern.

From there, Jaehyun was on a roll, landing swift and accurate punches that led him to the gold that night.

Without another moment to waste, Jaehyun walked straight to Doyoung and grabbed his hand, pulling him in the direction of his waiting room and ignoring all the cameras.

“Congratulations,” Doyoung said suddenly when Jaehyun pushed open the waiting room’s door. “I’m sorry I came late. There was traffic and my recording went on longer than I expected and – ” Doyoung stopped talking when Jaehyun threw his arms around him and buried his face in his neck. Eyes softening, Doyoung stroke the back of Jaehyun’s head, not caring how sweaty the other was. “You did well out there.”

Lifting his head, Jaehyun met Doyoung’s eyes. “I thought you wouldn’t come. I’m sorry for shouting at you last week.”

The sight of Jaehyun’s beaten-up face made Doyoung’s heart ache but he couldn’t help but appreciate how handsome the other still looked. Hand resting on Jaehyun’s hip, Doyoung leaned in to kiss the other, and soon he was lifted off the ground. Instinctively, he wrapped his legs around the boxer’s waist as Jaehyun carried him to the couch and laid him down.

Hand reaching out to Doyoung’s zipper, Jaehyun’s breath hitched when he pulled it down and realised that Doyoung wasn’t wearing any underwear. He regained his cool quickly and continued removing Doyoung’s jeans, pressing feathery kisses to Doyoung’s legs along the way, reveling in the soft sighs that left Doyoung’s lips.

Once Doyoung’s jeans was completely off, Jaehyun spread his legs only to be stopped when Doyoung pulled one leg back and rested it on the front of Jaehyun’s shoulder before kicking lightly, pushing the boxer away.

Eyebrow raised, Jaehyun wrapped a hand around Doyoung’s thin ankle. “You don’t want to?”

Leg stilling, Doyoung licked his lips as he looked at Jaehyun, pondering what he should say. The words had not left his mouth but embarrassment was already creeping onto his face, colouring his neck red at the thought of what he was about to say. “Be...gentle.”

They hadn’t had sex in a while, partly because they had been arguing for a week, but mainly because Doyoung had been on tour before that while Jaehyun had been preparing for the competition that night.

Nodding in understanding, Jaehyun went slow with his preparation, pushing his fingers in gently, one at a time, watching Doyoung’s face for any signs of discomfort. He entered slowly, not without warning, and soon Doyoung was panting heavily under him, telling him _faster, Jaehyun, more_ and if Jaehyun were a better man, he’d be able to resist. But he wasn’t a better man, so all he could do was to snap his hips faster, almost at a brutal pace, Doyoung’s nails scratching down his back viciously, sure to leave marks that wouldn’t disappear for days. At the back of Jaehyun’s mind, he was thankful that he wouldn’t have any more competitions for a while. Turning up in the ring with angry scratches down his back wasn’t exactly an appealing thought to him.

Arms loosely wrapped around Jaehyun’s neck, Doyoung tried sitting up, only to fall back when Jaehyun hit a particular spot, drawing a moan from him. Realising that it was fruitless to lean up, Doyoung decided that it was more effective to pull Jaehyun down.

The rougher he was with scratching Jaehyun’s back, the gentler he was with the way he kissed the cuts and bruises on Jaehyun’s face, mouthing _I love yous_ into Jaehyun’s skin, wanting the words to be imprinted there so that Jaehyun could remember how much Doyoung loved him, so that Jaehyun could carry that love around even when Doyoung wasn’t by his side or was mad at him.

“I love you,” Jaehyun whispered into Doyoung’s ears, hoping that it would stay in his heart, hoping that Doyoung would carry it around always. He bit onto Doyoung’s earlobe, smirking when the other gasped before he was coming with a high-pitched whine.

oOoOo

Before the spaceship even landed, a crowd had already formed. Jaehyun was, thankfully, tall enough that he didn’t have to stand on his tippy-toes to try catching a glimpse of the spaceship’s door. It was a very successful mission, or so Jaehyun had heard on his way to the hangar.

He glanced around, feeling a sense of disappointment when he didn’t spot any familiar faces, irrationally growing irate as he wondered why all these people were even there. It wasn’t like any of them had anything to do with the people on the spaceship.

The door opened and Jaehyun could no longer think about anything else, choosing to focus all of his attention on Doyoung instead. Seeing Doyoung again was nothing like what Jaehyun had imagined. He had thought about his own reaction, how he would cry and run forward to his boyfriend to scoop him up into his arms. Or how he would smile widely and tell the other _welcome home_. But none of that happened and Jaehyun merely stayed rooted to the ground, staring as Doyoung started walking in his direction.

Maybe it was because Doyoung haven’t felt what gravity was like in so long. Maybe it was the growing lack of oxygen in the spaceship over the last few days that was making him dizzy. Maybe it was the excitement of holding Jaehyun in his arms again that made him almost trip over his feet more than three times. Or maybe it was simply because Doyoung hadn’t seen Jaehyun in forever and he didn’t want to wait a second longer to hold the other again.

When Doyoung finally pushed past the crowd and stood in front of Jaehyun, he all but collapsed in his boyfriend’s arm. Eyes widening, Jaehyun hurriedly grabbed onto Doyoung’s elbows to make sure he didn’t fall.

Steadying himself, Doyoung grinned at Jaehyun as he said, “Happy birthday, my Valentine’s.”

Jaehyun’s breath caught in his throat and for a second there, he forgot how to breathe. Doyoung remembered. Doyoung remembered what day it was. And Doyoung came back for it.

Not giving a response, Jaehyun held onto Doyoung tightly and started guiding him away from the crowd’s eyes.

“I made it back in time, Jaehyun. Are you happy?” Doyoung asked, resting his cheek on Jaehyun’s shoulder, cuddling closer to the younger boy’s neck. Halfway through their walk to the cafeteria, Jaehyun had decided that it’d be easier to piggyback Doyoung instead of letting the other stumble on his own two feet.

Again, Jaehyun did not say anything, only letting Doyoung down onto a chair and taking a seat beside him.

At once, Doyoung laid his head on Jaehyun’s shoulder. “I’m so tired and yet I’m trying to talk to you and you won’t even say anything to me.”

Silently observing Doyoung for a bit longer, Jaehyun finally opened his mouth. “You’re different.”

Doyoung lifted his head to face Jaehyun. He looked torn between touching Jaehyun to seek for comfort and staying still. He remained unmoving. “How so?”

“You always feel different after you come back from a mission,” Jaehyun corrected himself after sensing that Doyoung was upset with his words. Leaning his cheek against his palm, Jaehyun explained, “It’s like the galaxy steals a piece of you every time you’re out there. I feel like I’m slowly losing you to all the different planets and the stars all the time.”

Hearing Jaehyun’s words, Doyoung felt a sense of relief. “Then you should take a part of me too, shouldn’t you?” Doyoung didn’t sound like he was joking and his eyes crinkled when he smiled. “Make sure I stay by your side and never really disappear.”

Oh, how much Jaehyun wanted to take keep Doyoung by his side. How he wanted the other to never disappear. “Thank you for coming back in time. Thank you for remembering my birthday.”

Smile widening, Doyoung looped an arm around Jaehyun’s before leaning back into the chair. “Of course, my Valentine’s.” Then Doyoung laughed, the smile on his face disappearing. “This feels so weird though.”

“What does?” Jaehyun asked, curiously looking at Doyoung. Judging by Doyoung’s hesitance to answer, Jaehyun could roughly guess what the other wanted to say. “Earth?”

“Gravity,” Doyoung said. “There’s no gravity up there in the galaxy.”

Taking Doyoung’s hand, Jaehyun waited for the older boy to look at him before he spoke. “I’ll be your gravity, Doyoung and I’ll help you find your balance on the ground again.” He hoped Doyoung could hear the sincerity in his voice. He hoped Doyoung could hear his unspoken words. _“Please stay. Please don’t go away again.”_

“You’ve always been my gravity, Jaehyun,” Doyoung replied instantly. “You are the only thing anchoring me to this Earth. You’re the reason I come home every time.”

“I wish I could be out there with you,” Jaehyun admitted quietly, moving closer to Doyoung until their foreheads touched.

Jaehyun was meant to be out there with Doyoung, meant to fly through the galaxies and find new life sources, meant to chase the stars and sail too close to the sun, meant to burn and fall and rise again with every new mission. He was meant to be by Doyoung’s side until an accident happened, almost crippling his arm entirely. That was also when he thought he was going to lose Doyoung entirely, lose him forever, lose him to space, to the galaxy, to the milky way and all the light out there.

“Don’t you know you’re always with me, Jaehyun? Don’t you know what’s in my heart?”

Tilting his head, Doyoung sealed their lips together, hand coming up to cup Jaehyun’s face, heart fluttering when he felt Jaehyun’s hand resting on his waist, adding pressure to pull him closer and closer until they both couldn’t breathe. Doyoung’s lips parted with a sigh and Jaehyun took the chance to slip his tongue in, running it over Doyoung’s teeth as he sucked on the other’s bottom lip.

“It’s you,” Doyoung murmured against Jaehyun’s lips.

oOoOo

“Where are you going?”

A voice stopped Doyoung from swimming away. His first thought was that his mother had caught him and now he was going to get locked up in his cave again for sneaking away, sneaking to the pier to wait for a human prince. Putting on his best pleading eyes, he turned around, frowning when he came face to face with Ten instead. “You’re not my mom.”

Ten’s expression mirrored Doyoung’s as he shook his head. “Obviously not? Don’t you recognise my voice?” Before Doyoung answered, Ten scoffed mockingly, making the other scowl. “Oh right, you were too deep-in-thought about your prince that you wouldn’t have been able to differentiate my voice from your mother’s. You might have even mistaken me for a fish and I wouldn’t even be surprised.” Just the thought of being mistaken for a fish made Ten angry and he curled his silver tail.

All Doyoung did was stuck his tongue out before quickly swimming up to the pier. He swam around, tail flipping listlessly whenever he stopped to peak over the ocean’s surface to see if Jaehyun had appeared. It wasn’t easy for him to hide since his hair was a bright pink, and his tail in an even brighter shade.

He always stood out for that reason alone, especially since he was the only merfolk with a pink tail in all the seven seas (according to his father).

“Doyoung?”

Hearing Jaehyun’s voice, Doyoung immediately swam towards the pier and broke the water’s surface, smiling brightly at Jaehyun, nodding rapidly as water droplets fell from his pink hair.

Chuckling, Jaehyun said, “The water’s too clear. I could see your hair from the water.”

That wasn’t good. What if another human besides Jaehyun had seen him? The thought of it made Doyoung frown disapprovingly.

Jaehyun made his way closer to the edge and Doyoung forgot all about his worries, swimming closer to the human prince.

“Are you sure you can be out here?” Jaehyun asked, a hint of worry in his voice, his eyebrows drawn together as he squatted down to take a closer look at Doyoung.

Sensing Jaehyun’s concern, Doyoung nodded enthusiastically, dumbly forgetting how to use his voice.

Eyes suddenly filled with sadness, Jaehyun reached out to stroke Doyoung’s face. “Did you lose your voice again?”

No?

“No?” Doyoung answered, finally using his voice, and finally realising that he had been nodding embarrassingly like a seal at Jaehyun the whole time, causing the prince to misunderstand.

“That’s good.” Jaehyun smiled and Doyoung’s heart started beating faster. “I like your voice.” Doyoung wanted to dive back into the water to cool his face.

Removing his hand from Doyoung’s face, Jaehyun sat down onto the pier as he began to remove his laced-up boots. Once he was done removing his footwear, he pulled up the bottom of his pants and sat back down on the wooden plank before pushing his legs forward, allowing them to dangle off the edge, the water rising to his calf.

Slowly pushing Jaehyun’s knees apart, Doyoung swam in between. “I said I would be here, wouldn’t I? I missed you.” Eyes shining, Doyoung placed his palms on Jaehyun’s thighs as he used some strength to push himself up. Just as Doyoung was about to close the gap between their lips, he felt a strong force pulling him back and then he heard a loud splash. Opening his eyes, he looked around frantically when he saw that Jaehyun wasn’t sitting on the pier anymore. The splash must have been made by Jaehyun. He must have fallen into the water. But how? Doyoung found his answer in the form of a silver tail disappearing into the ocean.

Scowling, Doyoung dove back into the water. “Ten!”

Upon hearing Doyoung’s voice, the silver-tailed merman startled before guiltily looking at the former. When Doyoung swam closer to Ten, he realised that the other was more sheepish than guilty and he grabbed Ten’s arm.

“Where is he?”

“Drowning somewhere,” Ten laughed, wincing immediately when Doyoung pinched him hard. “He was trying to pull you onto shore! And then you’d lose your voice again! You have a very pretty voice, Doyoung, I like your voice very much.”

Flattery wasn’t going to work with Doyoung, not when Jaehyun was _drowning somewhere_. Doyoung slapped Ten’s tail harshly, delighting in his friend’s pained cry before swimming off in search of his prince.

It wasn’t difficult to find Jaehyun and Doyoung thanked the seven seas when he realised that Jaehyun wasn’t exactly drowning. Not yet anyway. The prince had his eyes scrunched up and he looked like he was at his limits at holding his breath.

Doyoung quickly swam over and pulled Jaehyun into his arms. Wrapping his arms around Jaehyun’s torso, Doyoung tilted his head slightly to find Jaehyun’s lips before he pressed his own lips against Jaehyun’s. Merfolk had a special ability to allow humans to breathe underwater, even if only temporarily, but it wasn’t often spoken about, left as a myth for humans to daydream about swimming in the ocean one day. It was a secret, in a way, and yet there Doyoung was, breaking all of the rules he had ever known as he breathed life into Jaehyun.

Blinking his eyes open, all Jaehyun could see was blue, endless blue. Then he realised that he was _underwater_ and _not_ drowning. One look at Doyoung and he understood.

Seeing that Jaehyun was alright, Doyoung sighed in relief, wrapping an arm around the prince’s waist before swimming back to the surface.

“You saved me,” Jaehyun said as soon as the broke the water’s surface.

“Please don’t tell anyone about this. I – ” the rest of Doyoung’s words got muffled as Jaehyun pulled him in by the waist for a kiss. Jaehyun tasted like seawater and sunshine, the saltiness and warmth clinging onto Doyoung’s tongue, racing across his lips. Jaehyun tasted like the sweetness of life that Doyoung always wanted beyond the ocean. Jaehyun tasted something like love.

oOoOo

“What would your mother say? Hm?” Jaehyun asked as he planted kisses all over Doyoung’s chest, marking his once white and unblemished skin red all over. “When she finds out that the reason her son refused all those pretty ladies is because he prefers lying under a man like me.”

“Shut up,” Doyoung groaned, whining the next moment when Jaehyun twisted his fingers inside him. “Just hurry, please. I need you.”

Jaehyun didn’t say it, but he needed Doyoung too.

He quickly removed his fingers before lining himself up with Doyoung’s entrance and pushing in, granting Doyoung’s request. It was a tight fit but he managed to sit himself in all the way, making Doyoung choke on air as he whacked Jaehyun’s arm.

“Are you trying to kill me?” Doyoung hissed, teardrops slipping out from the corner of his eyes with how hard he was squeezing them shut.

Feigning innocence, Jaehyun blinked down at Doyoung (not that the other could see his expression with his face scrunched up in pain and his eyes closed). “You told me to hurry.”

“Yes, but – ” Doyoung stopped talking, crying out when Jaehyun moved slightly, feeling the slow drag of Jaehyun’s cock against his walls. “Fuck.”

“Exactly,” Jaehyun replied easily, pulling out until the tip and then slamming back in, making Doyoung scream.

Then Doyoung slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle his cries of pain and pleasure. Jaehyun removed that hand, smirking when he saw anger flashing in Doyoung’s eyes and then he bent forward to kiss Doyoung, which in his very humble opinion, was a better way of stifling the lewd sounds leaving Doyoung’s lips than allowing the other to cover his mouth.

“Next time, you should ask for my hand in a dance, no, at least three dances before getting into my bed,” Doyoung said when they were lying side by side in his bed later that night.

Jaehyun laughed. “Never pegged you for being such a convention little Lord.”

Rolling his eyes, Doyoung pinched Jaehyun’s side. “I just had sex with you. How is any of that conventional? I was just thinking how maybe we could do something else other than have sex in my room for once. I could teach you how to waltz or maybe you could listen to me play the piano. I could paint a portrait of you if you’d like.”

Doyoung was doing it again. He was always trying to please Jaehyun, yet he was also always trying to turn Jaehyun into more of an upperclassman, something which the latter wasn’t. Jaehyun merely grunted in response. He wasn’t interested in learning how to waltz and neither did he want to pose for Doyoung for hours while the other painted. Watching Doyoung play the piano was an enticing thought though.

“What did you mean when you said that?” Doyoung asked out of the blue.

Jaehyun have said many things before. “Said what?”

“‘A man like me’,” Doyoung quoted, unabashed about the circumstances under which Jaehyun had said them.

Laughing again, Jaehyun turned onto his side to pull Doyoung in his embrace. Chest pressed against Doyoung’s back, Jaehyun leaned down to blow against Doyoung’s ear, knowing it was his ticklish spot, and Doyoung struggle to get out of his hold. He continued teasing Doyoung, nibbling his ear lobe, kissing his neck, and licking his face, avoiding the question until Doyoung elbowed him in the chest, making him cough. “A poor man like me. A worthless person like me.”

Doyoung pushed at Jaehyun’s hand until it was loose enough for him to turn around and face the latter. “Don’t say that about yourself.”

“But I am poor.”

“Yes, you are,” Doyoung agreed easily, making Jaehyun scowl. Chuckling, Doyoung quickly kissed his lips to pacify him. “But you’re not worthless. You’re far from worthless.”

Mouth twisting, Jaehyun leaned in to mouth against Doyoung’s skin, “You’re only saying that because I fuck you well in bed.”

“Say what you want, Jung Jaehyun. I won’t get upset.” Doyoung moved back to bop the tip of Jaehyun’s nose before pressing a kiss there. “I don’t care what my mother says. I don’t care if my mother finds out that I prefer men. I don’t care if she knows that I love you, Jaehyun.”

Scoffing, Jaehyun tapped Doyoung’s nose two times, a childish revenge for Doyoung’s previous action, before sitting up. He started gathering his clothes, slowly putting them back on as Doyoung watched him, smiling lazily at him from the bed. It was a tempting sight – Doyoung lying naked in bed, limbs tangled in the sheets, hair messy, lips red from kissing and bite marks blooming on his chest. Pushing temptation aside, Jaehyun was ready to leave, yet Doyoung stopped him.

“You know I can’t stay the night.” It was one of the rare times when Jaehyun was the more reasonable one. Usually, it was him who joked about wanting to stay in Doyoung’s bed so that they could get caught by the housekeeper or the maid who delivered breakfast in the morning. Or even better, Jaehyun always hoped that Doyoung’s mother would walk in on them having sex.

But Doyoung was the needier one that night. “Yes, you can.”

“And let your servants find us naked in bed in the morning?”

“Yes.”

Protest dying on Jaehyun’s lips, he allowed Doyoung to lead him back to the bed.

In the dead of the night when Doyoung was fast asleep, Jaehyun slipped out of bed once again. He was used to sneaking around so he easily made it to the glass windows without waking Doyoung up. “Goodnight, my angel,” he whispered before pushing the window open and walking onto the balcony before quietly shutting it back again.

There was no way he was going to let Doyoung lose all his money or his status and prestige because of a man like him. Despite knowing that Doyoung had meant every word he said, he loved Doyoung far too much for that to happen.

oOoOo

_“Falling in love is like…” Doyoung pursed his lips before slowly sucking in his bottom lip as Jaehyun stared, mesmerised. “It’s like getting your lungs filled with water. You can’t breathe anymore and it’s painful. And before your realise it, you’re already drowning. Drowning and hoping someone can pull you out of the water. Except you realise that you don’t want any saving. You don’t need any saving.” Doyoung paused then to look up at Jaehyun. “You realise that you want to drown.”_

_Jaehyun laughed. “I’ll drown with you,” he said, like he was cracking a joke and Doyoung merely shook his head, a fond look on his face as he regarded Jaehyun._

_But Jaehyun wasn’t joking. He did want to drown. And he wanted it to be Doyoung whom he was drowning for._

“There’s a whole wide world of pigeons out there!” Doyoung exclaimed, drunkenly waving to the sky where there were no birds in sight. “A whole wide world of pigeons…”

His winter coat was too big for him; it was Jaehyun’s actually, and it kept falling off his shoulder as he tried balancing on the low stone wall he had climbed onto very unsteadily. Frustrated, Doyoung made a noise as he pulled the coat back up for the nth time before wrapping it tightly around himself. He stopped walking for a moment and nearly fell down the stonewall when Jaehyun caught his arm to steady him. Then Doyoung smiled and patted Jaehyun’s head before he continued walking, Jaehyun’s holding him steady.

Doyoung’s cheeks were rosy pink, not from the cold, but from too much alcohol, and Jaehyun should be annoyed at that because Doyoung had promised him that he wouldn’t get drunk at the party. But when did Doyoung keep his promises anyway? Jaehyun should be annoyed, annoyed at Doyoung for getting drunk, annoyed at Doyoung for making another empty promise, annoyed at Doyoung for lying. Annoyed that Doyoung wasn’t like Doyoung anymore.

Even with Jaehyun’s support, Doyoung could barely walk in a straight line. He complained about the stonewall being in a zig-zag pattern when he was the one who couldn’t put one foot in front of the other without swaying from side to side.

Without saying anything, Jaehyun went up the stonewall and stood in front of Doyoung to block him from taking another step. He wrapped his arms around Doyoung’s waist, absently noting how Doyoung grew thinner again. He felt like if he tightened his arms just a bit, he’d break him. But Jaehyun didn’t want to break him.

Doyoung was staring at Jaehyun, head tilted in a confused manner. It was only then that Jaehyun realised how tired Doyoung looked, his eyes half-lidded and his face a portrait of weariness. Jaehyun’s gaze fell to the Doyoung’s shirt, the deep v-neck exposing his collar bones, making him shiver unconsciously every now and then, and Jaehyun was reminded why he had to throw his winter coat on Doyoung in the first place.

“Doyoung,” Jaehyun called but Doyoung simply looked away. “Doyoung,” he tried again and then Doyoung turned to him. “Doyoung, do you know who I am?”

It wasn’t a trick question, neither was it a difficult one but Doyoung frowned like Jaehyun had just thrown him a curve ball that he couldn’t hit. “Jaehyun?” he said eventually and Jaehyun let out a sigh of relief. A silly smile appeared on Doyoung’s face and he lifted a hand to pinch Jaehyun’s cheek. “My love.”

Everything Doyoung said always sounded so sweet and pleasing to the ear, just because he had such a nice voice that made Jaehyun weak. Hearing that voice calling him _love_ made Jaehyun inhale shakily. For a moment, Jaehyun wanted to believe that it was true. That Doyoung wasn’t drunk and fully sober when he called Jaehyun his love. That Doyoung really thought that Jaehyun was his love.

But Jaehyun wasn’t.

Still, he didn’t want to believe that that day would never come. As long as he could still hope, he would never give up on Doyoung. All he wished for then was for Doyoung to be sober again though. It was starting to get frustrating for Jaehyun to watch Doyoung set himself up for failure every single time, to see how Doyoung was straying further and further away from all that he ever dreamed about, to know that Doyoung was willingly drinking himself to death just so that he wouldn’t have to deal with reality. It was hateful, almost, but Jaehyun could never hate Doyoung. Never.

As if Doyoung could hear Jaehyun’s thoughts, as if he could sense Jaehyun’s conundrum (he wouldn’t be able to, not in his drunken state, and besides, Jaehyun was a good actor - he could have gotten a career on television if he hadn’t chosen the runway), he pouted at the younger boy. “Are you angry at me, Jaehyun?”

Shaking his head, Jaehyun simply replied, “No.”

That was probably what Doyoung wanted to hear and it was, but he still sulked even more. “Liar.” He leaned forward to rest his forehead on Jaehyun’s shoulder, his breath shaky but his balance was surprisingly steady. “Don’t be angry at me. Please don’t be angry at me.”

The momentary clarity in Doyoung’s voice made Jaehyun’s heart clench painfully in his chest as he took a step back, forcing Doyoung to remove his head from his shoulder and look at the top of the stonewall instead. Jaehyun didn’t exactly know what he was doing as he placed his hand under Doyoung’s chin and slowly tilted it up. All he knew was that he wanted to see Doyoung’s face. He wanted to look into the other’s eyes and see himself in it.

“Jaehyun.” Doyoung was drunk, otherwise he wouldn’t be touching Jaehyun’s face like that, so tenderly, so lovingly, like Jaehyun was his whole world. “You can never hate me. Promise me you’ll never hate me.”

“Fine,” Jaehyun said angrily, as if he can do anything else but love Kim Doyoung.

oOoOo

It was already past midnight. Most of the city had fallen into darkness save for the soccer pitch that was lit up with bright and blinding lights. Doyoung was home alone in that darkness while Jaehyun was at practice under those lights. If it were up to Jaehyun, he’d ditch practice and Doyoung wouldn’t be home alone any longer.

But the seasonal soccer league was coming up and Jaehyun couldn’t afford to miss another practice again. He had missed enough practices for Doyoung – not that he minded, but his coach certainly did. 

Once his coach blew the whistle, Jaehyun rushed to the bench, not for his towel or his water bottle like his teammates, but for his phone. As he had expected, there were a few dozen missed calls from Doyoung and at least thirty messages from the other asking him where he was.

His phone vibrated again then with an incoming call from Doyoung. Jaehyun was about to pick up the phone when it stopped ringing. Doyoung hung up so quickly and Jaehyun guessed that must be the reason for the number of missed calls.

“I have to go, coach,” Jaehyun announced when the team’s coach walked over to the bench. Despite the coach not saying anything, Jaehyun was already packing up his bag, taking off his soccer shoes in exchange for his more comfortable pair of sneakers. “My boyfriend’s calling.”

“I don’t care who your boyfriend is, Jung Jaehyun!” his coach hollered and his teammates slowed their movements as they pondered over jumping in to help Jaehyun. But Jaehyun shook his head, letting them know that he could deal with their coach alone. “You’ve already missed enough practices because of him!”

Johnny decided to jump in to save Jaehyun anyway. “Coach, it’s Kim Doyoung,” he offered from the side, knowing that Doyoung’s name was enough to make their coach think twice about forcing Jaehyun to stay.

“Kim Doyoung?” their coach repeated. “As in, _that_ Kim Doyoung?”

“Yes. The very rich one,” Johnny affirmed.

Clearing his throat, their coach merely nodded in Jaehyun’s direction, a look of understanding on his face. “Well then, Jaehyun. I guess you have to go.”

Maybe Jaehyun should have told his coach that Kim Doyoung was his boyfriend from the start. Better late than never though. He threw Johnny an appreciative smile and the other gave him a thumbs-up before running back to the field.

Jumping on his motorcycle, Jaehyun thanked his own hindsight for not driving the car that day as he sped down the highway.

He hadn’t bothered changing out of his soccer attire, wanting to return home to Doyoung as quickly as possible. He felt gross and sticky and he was honestly, extremely tired but Doyoung remained his priority.

“Doyoung, Doyoung,” he called out worriedly, kicking his shoes off at the entrance and rushing past the living room towards their bedroom without even turning on the lights.

The moment the Jaehyun opened the bedroom door, he saw that Doyoung was already sitting up in the center of the bed, face expressionless, eyes glassy, his lips pale, and his hands unmoving on his lap.

“Doyoung?” Jaehyun moved closer to the bed, not wanting to sit down since he was still dirty from practice. “Doyoung?” he tried the second time, sighing in relief when he got a response.

“Jaehyun?” Doyoung blinked a few times, staring Jaehyun from top to bottom, taking in the way Jaehyun’s sweaty bangs were sticking to his forehead and how he was still in his soccer jersey, down to his high socks and lack of home slippers. “Were you at practice? I’m sorry.”

“No, no, no,” Jaehyun reassured, taking a step closer to the bed and about to open his arms to embrace the other only to retract back his hands and stay in place. “It’s fine. Practice was ending anyway,” he lied, not wanting Doyoung to feel guilty about dragging him away from the field. “Don’t apologise.”

Watching Jaehyun’s hesitance to approach him, Doyoung asked, “Why aren’t you hugging me?”

“I’m,” Jaehyun looked down at his shirt, laughing dryly in explanation. “I’ll take a shower first.”

Sighing, Doyoung shook his head to stop Jaehyun from going to the bathroom. He scooted over to the side of the bed where Jaehyun was standing and moved into a kneeling position before wrapping his arms around the soccer player’s waist. “I don’t care.”

Smiling gently, Jaehyun carded his fingers through Doyoung’s soft black locks. “Did you have a nightmare again? I’m sorry I wasn’t by your side.”

“It’s not your fault.” Doyoung never liked Jaehyun blaming himself. He understood how busy Jaehyun was, how he couldn’t be with him all the time but he couldn’t help but feel afraid when Jaehyun wasn’t there to tell him that everything was going to be alright, that he wasn’t going to see those dark days in the warehouse again. Just the thought of being tied up and blindfolded again made Doyoung tighten his arms as he choked back a sob.

“You’re okay, baby,” Jaehyun hurriedly comforted Doyoung, sensing his fear. “You’re okay. No one will hurt you again, I swear. You’re safe here now. With me. No one will be able to harm you anymore.”

Being kidnapped wasn’t something that Doyoung would probably ever get over. But he would get better over time and Jaehyun wanted to be there every step of the way. He’d have taken over Doyoung’s place in a heartbeat if there had been a choice. Doyoung was someone he would take a bullet for, someone he would do anything for just so that he would be safe, someone that was always on his mind. It was the first time Jaehyun ever felt so seriously about anyone and as an orphan, it was also the first time Jaehyun truly understood what love meant.

“I will always protect you.” Jaehyun looked down at Doyoung who was still shivering in his arms, then he leaned down to seal his promise with a kiss.

oOoOo

Doyoung hid in dreams when reality failed him. Doyoung hid in his dreams when work was getting harder. Doyoung hid in his dreams when he didn’t want to entertain his friends or update his family about his boring life. Doyoung hid in his dreams when the dream sharing society wanted him to work with an Extractor that wasn’t Jaehyun (“But you’re the best Architect out there!” was a praise that Doyoung enjoyed hearing but not enough to make him construct a place where he knew that Jaehyun wouldn’t be). Doyoung hid in dreams where he knew that he could still call Jaehyun is.

Or that was what Jaehyun thought Doyoung had been doing anyway.

It had been exactly a year since they got a divorce. It wasn’t because they had fallen out of love, no; Jaehyun had seen the love in Doyoung’s eyes as he looked at Jaehyun the final time before signing his name on the divorce papers. He had seen the way Doyoung broke down in their shared apartment when he was about to leave after packing up and collecting all of his things. He had heard from Johnny who had heard from Ten about how Doyoung hadn’t been accepting any jobs related to being an Architect, focusing on his main job as an investor instead. Even then, he had heard about how Doyoung had been unfocused, lost in thought all the time. Though Jaehyun never dared to ask for more information, never dared to ask what or _who_ was on Doyoung’s mind, afraid that the answer might not be him.

Maybe it was selfish of him to want Doyoung to think about him as much as he thought about the other, but he was only human.

There wasn’t a point in trying to dream naturally anymore, not when Jaehyun couldn’t even sleep well these days, especially since after the divorce. The other side of the bed just felt so cold without Doyoung there.

Injecting the somnacin into his bloodstream, Jaehyun exhaled calmly, welcoming the familiar sensation of entering a dream as he fell asleep.

“Jaehyun, wake up.”

Slowly, Jaehyun opened his eyes again and he didn’t even need to check his totem to be certain that he was in a dream because Doyoung was standing right beside the bed, arms folded across his chest as he glared at Jaehyun. Ideally, Doyoung would be smiling but Jaehyun was never too particular about details. That wasn’t his job as an Extractor, not really.

But this was Doyoung, this was his Doyoung.

Before Jaehyun could even say anything, the dream shut down and Jaehyun was violently yanked awake from the dream by a sudden force. The PASIV machine was disconnected from him when he came back to reality.

“Jung Jaehyun, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Doyoung spat harshly, arms folded across his chest, as he glared down at Jaehyun. Ideally, Doyoung would be smiling but wait, this wasn’t a dream.

Not believing that it was really Doyoung standing in front of him, Jaehyun rubbed his eyes. “Doyoung?” he tried, wanting the confirmation that it was his husband, his _ex-_ husband that was standing in front of him again after all these months. “Doyoung, is that you? Is that really you? Or am I still dreaming? Am I dreaming again?”

“Why were you connected to the machine?” Doyoung asked sadly, ignoring all of Jaehyun’s other questions, wanting his own question to be answered first. Typical.

“I miss you Doyoung.” The words spilled out without Jaehyun even intending them to. “I miss you so much. I can’t sleep without you and I can’t...I just can’t function properly anymore.” Jaehyun didn’t know how to stop now that he started. “I still love you.” Doyoung’s breath hitched and Jaehyun could see the hurt in his eyes. _“Who hurt you like that?”_ Jaehyun wanted to know. Was it him?

“I want you to live properly,” was all Doyoung said in response. “I don’t want you to live like that.”

So it _was_ Jaehyun who was hurting him. “But I can’t live without you in my life.”

Mouth opening and shutting, Doyoung shook his head, not wanting to accept Jaehyun’s excuses. A glance to the door and he was about to walk out when Jaehyun hurriedly rushed in front of him to block his way. “Jaehyun, I can’t live knowing that you’re living like that,” Doyoung said, frustrated.

Somehow, hearing how Doyoung was still so affected by Jaehyun made his heart swell. He still mattered to Doyoung. “Then get back with me.”

The first time Jaehyun’s world had sparkled with fairy lights and shooting stars, it took Doyoung three words. Yet, it only took Doyoung two words for Jaehyun’s world to collapse into darkness.

“I can’t.”

People liked to say that love was the strongest thing in the whole world. Jaehyun used to believe it until he understood what a broken heart felt like. Love wasn’t all that powerful. Heartbreak was enough to turn the skies cloudy again.

“Can you just stay for the night, then?” Jaehyun requested softly, afraid that he might come across as too eager, too desperate and Doyoung might feel burdened.

Doyoung remained silent and Jaehyun braced himself for the rejection, wondering how hard it’d hit him the second time. But all Doyoung did was hold his hand, tentatively, before tightening his grip and leading them back to the bed.

Jaehyun lied down first and a brief but scary thought flashed across his mind - Doyoung was going to bolt for the door.

Instead, Doyoung climbed into bed with him, snaking one arm around Jaehyun’s waist as he curled his other hand over Jaehyun’s abdomen like he always used to before burying his face in Jaehyun’s chest. Jaehyun knew how quickly his heart was beating, so he closed his eyes, trying to calm his breath so that Doyoung couldn’t hear how loud his heart was thumping.

For the first time in months, Doyoung was there and Jaehyun slept peacefully.

oOoOo

Before walking into the lift lobby, Doyoung had already seen Jaehyun sitting inside, a pout on his handsome face as he hugged something white – probably his bag or a jacket. Doyoung tapped his card against the scanner and a click sounded before he pushed open the glass door. Not sparing Jaehyun a glance, Doyoung pressed the lift button and waited.

He hadn’t seen Jaehyun in days and wasn’t expecting to him that day either. Jaehyun’s band was supposed to be on tour, according to Ten, a viola player from the same orchestra as Doyoung who was dating Jaehyun’s band’s drummer. Maybe they were going on tour a few days from now, maybe Jaehyun had just come home from practice, Doyoung had no idea.

Just then, Doyoung felt a presence beside him and he turned over to find Jaehyun standing there, hugging a large white alpaca stuffed toy in his arms; the same one Doyoung had seen him carrying back two weeks ago. It was then that Doyoung realised that Jaehyun had been waiting for _him_.

A quick glance to the red number above the lift doors told Doyoung that it was still stuck on the sixth floor and would take a while longer to come down. Good thing he lived on the third floor. Suddenly, his violin case felt heavier.

Without saying anything, Doyoung turned around, ready to head for the stairwell when Jaehyun grabbed his arm. “I’m taking the stairs,” Doyoung said, not knowing why he felt the need to explain his reason for leaving to Jaehyun, not knowing why he needed to explain anything to Jaehyun at all.

Jaehyun remained silent but his grip on Doyoung’s arm was firm.

The lift doors opened and that was when Jaehyun finally said something. “The lift’s here.” Letting go of Doyoung’s arm, Jaehyun stepped into the lift and pushed a button before moving to the back to give Doyoung space to enter.

There really wasn’t a point in climbing the stairs anymore now that the lift doors were open. Sighing, Doyoung stepped into the lift and was ready to press the number three when he saw that it was already lit up. The number seven wasn’t though. Frowning, Doyoung pressed the number seven. Perhaps Jaehyun merely forgot which level he was staying on.

When the lift reached the third floor and Jaehyun followed Doyoung out, Doyoung knew that Jaehyun had intended on going to his house from the start.

“I didn’t invite you?” Doyoung pointed out as he made his way over to his shared unit with Ten, but he didn’t chase Jaehyun away either.

Jaehyun stood behind Doyoung quietly as the latter opened the door with his keys. Hugging the alpaca closer to his chest, Jaehyun mumbled, “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

Incredulous, Doyoung stared at Jaehyun for a moment – oh what would everyone think if they saw the lead vocalist of _NeoZone_ cuddling an alpaca like that. They’d probably find him adorable, Doyoung’s mind provided unhelpfully.

Following Doyoung into the house, a smile slowly grew onto Jaehyun’s face when he knew for sure that Doyoung wasn’t going to kick him out. Happily, he walked past Doyoung and went straight to the violinist's room.

Doyoung wasn’t done with his routine of spraying the plants in the living room but there was no way he was going to let Jaehyun be alone in his room (the last time he had done that, the vocalist simply slept on his bed which had freshly changed sheets in his practice clothes, his _sweaty_ practice clothes.

All Jaehyun did was to put his alpaca down next to Doyoung’s before walking out of the room, brushing past the older boy’s shoulder on purpose and smiling to himself when he saw the way Doyoung stared at the two alpacas on his shelf in disbelief.

Confused, Doyoung stared at Jaehyun. “You brought your alpaca over to…?”

“Go on a date with yours,” Jaehyun answered simply, making himself comfortable on the couch and crossing his legs elegantly as he regarded Doyoung. “While I take you out on a date.”

Their alpacas were apparently out on a date while Doyoung struggled with the thought of Jaehyun bringing him out on one. How long had it been since they last went out together? So Doyoung couldn’t help himself when he asked, “Are you sure you like me?”

Eyebrow raised, Jaehyun beckoned Doyoung over to his side. “Are we back to that again?”

“Just tell me again.” They didn’t meet often; Jaehyun was busy with the band and Doyoung was busy with the orchestra. Most of the time, Doyoung felt like he didn’t have a boyfriend (if he could consider Jaehyun one) – the time difference when either of them were overseas made phone calls and even texting difficult. Most of the time, Doyoung needed to be assured.

And Jaehyun would always be there to give him that reassurance. “It’s not just liking, Doyoung. I love you. I love you so much that ten lifetimes aren’t even enough to love you.”

Humming, Doyoung walked over to sit next to Jaehyun before he lied down, placing his head on Jaehyun’s lap and making himself comfortable. He closed his eyes, smiling when Jaehyun’s fingers went back to massaging his temple. “Don’t mention Ten’s name again.”

Jaehyun paused, confused while he re-traced his words, laughing when he realised when he had said Ten’s name. Bending down, he placed a kiss on Doyoung’s forehead. “Twenty lifetimes aren’t enough to love you.”

“Just twenty?” Doyoung teased. At the back of his mind, he registered that he _did_ have a boyfriend, one that would only love him for twenty lifetimes. Doyoung didn’t want twenty lifetimes with Jaehyun, he wanted every lifetime with Jaehyun.

“Forever isn’t enough to love you,” Jaehyun said softly, his voice so quiet that Doyoung almost didn’t hear him.

“Jaehyun,” Doyoung called as he opened his eyes in time to see Jaehyun’s dimples appearing as he smiled down at him lovingly. “I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave me 201 comments and kudos. I’m joking obviously, but comments and kudos are really appreciated! <3 Let me know your favourite verse!
> 
> [twt](https://twitter.com/fullsunlet) (say hi maybe…I’m very bad at initiating conversation because I’d feel like I’m being annoying but I DO love talking…………..) and I finally decided to create [cc](https://curiouscat.me/fullsunlet)
> 
> P.S.: my notes have 201 words in total. I did it on purpose


End file.
